Russia is building secret bases for UAVs capable of striking deep into NATO territory. It is reported by The Telegraph.
According to the newspaper, Russia has created a network of new military facilities that can be used to launch long-range attack drones. These bases, according to Western analysts, pose a potential threat to NATO countries.
According to the publication, at least 10 Russian bases with new launch pads have been found. Along the borders with Belarus and Ukraine recorded at least 59 new launch guides (rails).
About 20 launchers have an increased length, which indicates their purpose for launching the latest Geranium-4 and Geranium-5 models. According to leaked Ukrainian documents, these drones can carry a warhead weighing up to 90 kg and hit targets at a distance of about 1000 km.
The newspaper notes that the location of some bases allows new Russian drones to theoretically reach the territory of Poland, including Warsaw.
The infrastructure in question, according to the publication, poses a long-term threat to a number of NATO member countries.
The intelligence services of the United States and European countries do not rule out that Moscow may use these bases for provocations, including strikes on critical infrastructure or operations "under a false flag" in order to assign responsibility to Ukraine, the newspaper writes.
Some of the detected bases, as indicated in the publication, are already being actively used by Russia to launch attacks on Ukraine. It is reported that seven out of ten bases were involved during the recent massive attacks on Kiev. In addition, satellite images show a significant increase in storage capacity: more than 1,000 drones can be stored simultaneously at one of the bases.
At the same time, The Telegraph emphasizes that there is no direct evidence that Russia is currently planning a full-scale attack on any NATO country. At the same time, NATO said that the alliance is ready to defend every inch of its territory and continues to strengthen its defense against unmanned threats.